Ever notice, every Spring and Fall there are a few of these old junkers at the curbside. A pretty common site in the Midwest. Those heavy, messy, noisy dehumidifiers never seem to last. Here's an actual posting on Craigslist. Really, this is all too common:

CL > madison > all for sale / wanted > free stuff

Reply Reply to: b25dn-3727381983@sale.craigslist.org ^[?]

flag ^[?] : miscategorized prohibited spam best of

Posted: 2013-04-06, 4:18PM CDT

3 dehumidifiers-non functioning (Fall River)

Have 3 non working dehumidifiers to give away. All or none proposition. First one who comes and picks them up gets them. Will not hold to see, ect. We are 2 miles west of Columbus, off Hwy 16. About 20 mins on USH 151 north from Sun Prairie.

• Location: Fall River
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Follow these tips suggested by the EPA, http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-spring.htm 

In your garden

A beautiful and healthy lawn is good for our environment. It can resist damage from weeds, disease, and insect pests. Pesticides can be effective, but need to be used according to the directions on the label and should not be relied on as a quick-fix to lawn problems.

Here are some tips to follow:

Develop healthy soil. Make sure your soil has the right pH balance, key nutrients, and good texture. You can buy easy-to-use soil analysis kits at hardware stores or contact your local County Cooperative Extension Service for a soil analysis.

Choose the right grass for your climate. If your area gets very little rain, don't plant a type of grass that needs a lot of water. Select grass seed that is well suited to your climate and other growing conditions such as the amount of sunlight and rain you lawn receives. Over-seed your lawn each Fall by spreading seeds on top of the lawn. A thicker lawn helps to crowd out weeds. Your local County Extension Service can advise you on which grasses grow best in your area.

Longer is Better. Make sure the lawn mower blades are sharp. Grass that is slightly long makes a strong, healthy lawn with few pest problems. Weeds have a hard time taking root and growing when grass is around 2½ to 3½ inches for most types of grass.

Water Early. It is time to water if footprint impressions stay in the lawn and do not spring back. Water early in the morning and only for short periods for time so the soil may absorb the water. Longer grass has stronger roots and retains water better.

Correct thatch buildup. Thatch is a layer of dead plant materials between the grass blades and the soil. When thatch gets too thick, deeper than 3/4 of an inch, water and nutrients are prevented from getting into the soil and reaching the roots of the grass. Overusing synthetic fertilizer can create heavy layer of thatch, and some kinds of grass are prone to thatch buildup.

Recycle grass. Don't pick up the grass clippings after you mow. Clippings will return nutrients and moisture to the soil. Consider buying a mulching lawn mower. This will cut the grass clippings finer and blow them into the lawn.

Let your lawn breathe. Once a year, remove small plugs of earth to allow air and water to aerate the grass roots.

Invite a few weeds and insects into you garden. Think of you lawn as a small piece of nature where pests have their place. Often, nature provides its own pest control in the form of birds or other insects that feed on the insects we consider nuisances.

Use manual tools. Tools that don't require electric or gasoline engines are especially handy for small yards or small jobs. There are hand tools available that will meet a wide variety of lawn and garden needs, like lightweight, quiet, easy-to-use reel push mowers that generate no emissions.


Using pesticides safely

If you decide that the best solution to your pest problem is a pesticide, follow these tips when selecting and using a garden product:

    Identify the pest problem
    Find the product that solves the problem
    Buy the right amount for your needs
    Read the label carefully and use the product the right way
    Pay attention to warnings
    Prevent harm to the environment - never pour lawn and garden products down a drain

Spring Cleaning

If you are going to be doing some spring cleaning, take a look around your house for items that present environmental hazards when they are improperly disposed of. Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be "household hazardous waste" or "HHW." Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides, that contain potentially hazardous ingredients require special care when you dispose of them.

Heating and cooling

Is your home's cooling equipment more than 10 years old? If so, EPA encourages you to have your current system inspected for energy performance by a professional contractor before their busy summer season hits.

If it's time for a replacement, be sure to choose equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR for high efficiency.
If it's not yet time to replace, have your contractor perform routine annual maintenance on your system to make sure it will efficiently and comfortably carry you through the hot summer months without costing you more than necessary.
 

Consumer question:

We bought a home with an Aprilaire model 440 and have no idea how it works. It has a dial with a red line and a white line. On top of the dial it says humidity and on the lower half it says outside temp. Where should the red line be and where should the white line be? Thanks for your help.

Aprilaires' response:

Consumer question:

I am interested in installing an Aprilaire whole house humidifier in my own house without a contractor. I have radiant heat so the only ducting I have is for air conditioning. I was wondering if having room temperature air circulation (no air conditioning) would still be effective to evaporate enough water to generate humidity within the specs of the controller. I understand that I would have to periodically have the blower turn on in the heat season in order to simulate a furnace blower, but that is no problem. Im more concerned that because the air would be 70 degrees, that the evaporation would be so slow that the controller would be telling me to replace the filter all the time.

thank you... please give me your suggestions on your best product for this 2200sq foot area and situation.

Aprilaires' response:

Consumer question:

We installed this Humidifier last fall and it is located within the garage area, mounted on a forced air gas furnace.
the problem we are having is the humidistat says it is 50% humidity and if we check the area that the control is in that is true. the problem is we want 40% in the working area that is being treated and are only reading 34% in the area where it is needed? Can you advise?

Aprilaires' response:

Consumer feedback:

I have the Model 700 with the Model 58 humidistat. The problem I'm having is that the humidistat is callingtne furnace to start the blower motor I guess because the humidity has fallen below what it needs to be. However, the blower motor comes on for like 10 seconds and the shuts off. It will repeat this cycle 100 times a day so I have to turn the humidistat off. It generally only does this during the day because the thermostat is set to a temp that generally doesn't require heat. The HVAC guy has replaced the humidistat already with no success. My furnace is an Amana prane model. What's going on with this? Thanks

Name: Ken
City: Middletown
State: MD

Aprilaires' reponse:

Dear Ken,

Thank you for contacting us with regards to your model 700 Humidifier. Based on the information provided, it’s not clear how this humidistat has been wired. Normally, the model 58 humidistat does not have the ability to operate your furnace fan without an additional relay. It’s possible that this relay has not been wired properly. We would recommend that you have your HVAC guy contact us when he’s next on-site. We can provide troubleshooting assistance by phone.

We look forward to assisting you with this issue.

1-800-334-6011 Ext.6172
Call Center hours are M-F, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST
Visit www.aprilaire.com

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A Mayo Clinic researcher is testing the theory that controlling indoor humidity levels can help control the influenza virus in transmission hotspots like schools, hospitals, daycare centers and churches.

The virus can spread quickly in those areas, especially in the winter time when low humidity levels help the influenza virus survive longer outside the human body.

Read more...

From: webmaster@aprilaire.com\

>>> Phyllis Kaplanek 02/20/12 15:21 >>>

Hello Dan,

Thank you for contacting Aprilaire.

Yes, the 400 does not drain, it will evaporate all of the water used.

The 600 uses no power, so would be less expensive to run than the 700.

When the 700 is operating, it is drawing air from the duct work, humidifies it, and blows it back into the duct work all in one spot. Also, yes, sometimes it has been reported that cold air would come out of the vents in the 700 during usage of the air conditioner.

It is difficult to offer 'utility expenses' since each home uses different amounts of water or electricity depending on the humidification needs.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.



Phyllis Kaplanek
Customer Service Specialist
Aprilaire - Division of Research Products Corporation
ptk@aprilaire.com
1-800-334-6011, ext 6181
visit www.aprilaire.com
Call Center hours are M-F, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST


>>> Dan 2/18/2012 10:14 AM >>>
Name: Dan

Email: civdan@yahoo.com

Address: 7109 Marrisey Loop

City: Galena

State: OH

ZIP: 43021

Country: USA

Phone:

Product_type: Humidifiers

Model number: 700

Installation date:

Professionally installed:

Comments: I\'m trying to decide between the 400, 600 and 700 whole house humidifiers. I like that the 400 wastes no water and uses cold water. Does the fan in the 700 draw air in from the basement or is it sealed so it only pulls heated air from the duct? Would air conditioned air escape from the 700 into the basement during the summer?About how much energy does the fan use on the 700? Will this cost me like $20 more per year in electricity than the 600, for example? How much less would the 400 be in utility costs than the 600 or 700? Thank you!


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The information contained in this e-mail and any attached document(s) is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you receive this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

Consumer question:

I installed my humidistat on the wall in my house and was wondering which location is more effecient / effective at reading the humidity level...on the wall or on the return duct at the furnace.

Aprilaires' response:

We are always looking for ways to save a little money without compromising our comfort, review these money saving tips from We Energies… Take special notice to the proper humidity control, it goes both with adding and removing it from our homes.

Harmful effects of molds

The type and severity of health effects that result from molds exposure is widely variable among different locations, from person to person and over time.

Although difficult to predict, exposure to molds growing indoors is most often associated with the following allergy symptoms:

Long-term exposure to indoor molds is certainly unhealthy to anyone, but some groups will develop more severe symptoms sooner than others, including:

• Infants and children
• Elderly people
• Individuals with respiratory conditions, allergies and/or asthma
• Immunocompromised patients

Some indoor molds are capable of producing extremely potent toxins (mycotoxins) that are lipid-soluble and readily absorbed by the intestinal lining, airways, and skin. These agents, usually contained in the fungal spores, have toxic effects ranging from short-term irritation to immunosuppression and cancer. (Photo: Mold growing behind wallpaper)

More severe symptoms that could result from continuous human exposure to indoor mycotoxigenic molds include:

• Cancer (aflatoxin best characterized as potential human carcinogen)
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis/pulmonary fibrosis
• Pulmonary injury/hemosiderosis (bleeding)
• Neurotoxicity
• Hematologic and immunologic disorders
• Hepatic, endocrine and/or renal toxicities
• Pregnancy, gastrointestinal and/or cardiac conditions

It is important to notice that the clinical relevance of mycotoxins under realistic airborne exposure levels is not fully established. Further, some or much of the supporting evidence for these other health effects is based on case studies rather than controlled studies, studies that have not yet been reproduced or involve symptoms that are subjective.
(Photo: Black mold spores micrography)

Among the indoor mycotoxin-producing species of molds are Fusarium, Trichoderma, and one that, although less commonly isolated, became notorious during the past decade, Stachybotrys atra (aka S. chartarum, black mold). Between 1993 and 1994, there was an unusual outbreak of pulmonary hemorrhage in infants in Cleveland, Ohio, where one kid died. Researchers found that the kids’ homes had previously sustained water damage that resulted in molds contamination, and the quantity of molds, including S. chartarum, was higher in the homes of infants with pulmonary hemorrhage than in those of controls. (Photo: Stachybotrys growing on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA))

It was this Cleveland event that initiated the headline news of Stachybotrys. The American Academy of Pediatrics produced guidelines in the wake of the outbreak. Other incidents involving kids in Stachybotrys-contaminated water-damaged school buildings have captured headlines as well, with children becoming symptom-free after being removed from those environments.
Article from the Fargo Forum newspaper, North Dakota (5/1/1997)

The role of S. chartarum in pulmonary hemorrhage in the Cleveland incident and in human health in the indoor environment is not clear though. There is not enough evidence to prove a solid causal relationship between S. chartarum and these health problems. Actually, in 2000 the CDC released two reports critical of the study conducted in Cleveland and concluded that the association between S. chartarum and acute pulmonary hemorrhage was not proven.

While case studies certainly indicate the possibility or even the plausibility of an effect from molds exposure, such studies by their nature cannot address whether the effect is common or widespread among building occupants. Results from studies that have not been reproduced may be spurious or have yet to be confirmed by well-designed follow up studies. (Photo: Moldy humid walls in a closet space)

In large epidemiologic studies, general symptoms have been associated with moisture damaged and presumably moldy buildings. Many of the reported symptoms are subjective and difficult to quantify. Results are confounded by the fact that the association is general, and mold is not the only possible cause of the symptoms. Neither condition proves that mold is NOT a cause.

In any case, molds growth in the indoor environment should be considered unacceptable from the perspectives of potential adverse health effects and building performance.

Dose-response

There is almost a complete lack of information on specific human responses to well-defined exposures to molds contaminants. There is currently no proven method to measure the type or amount of mold that a person is exposed to, and common symptoms associated with molds exposure are non-specific, aggravated by the facts that molds are present everywhere in the environment and that responses to exposure vary greatly among individuals. (Photo: Heavy mold growth on the underside of spruce floorboards)

There are no accepted standards for molds sampling in indoor environments or for analyzing and interpreting the data in terms of human health. Most studies are then based primarily on baseline environmental data rather than on human dose-response data. Neither OSHA or NIOSH, nor the EPA has set a standard or PEL for molds exposure.

Mold growth on air diffuser in ceiling
Miller et al. (1988) stated that it is reasonable to assume there is a problem if a single species predominates with >50 CFU/m³, that <150 CFU/m³ is acceptable if there is a mix of benign species, and that there is no problem when up to 300 CFU/m³ of Cladosporium or other common fungi is isolated. There is no source material to support these assertions, as few inhalation studies have been conducted.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health. 1998. Toxic effects of indoor molds. Pediatrics. 101:712-714. 11/23/03

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2002. State of the Science on Molds and Human Health. 11/15/03

US Environmental Protection Agency – Indoor Air Quality – Molds. 11/15/03

Kuhn, D. M., and M. A. Ghannoum. 2003. Indoor mold, toxigenic fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum: infectious disease perspective. Clin Microbiol Rev. 16(1):144-172. 11/15/03

Miller, J. D., A. M. Laflamme, Y. Sobol, P. Lafontaine and R. Greenhalgh. 1988. Fungi and fungal products in some Canadian houses. Int. Biodeterior. 24:103-120.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2000. Update: Pulmonary Hemorrhage/Hemosiderosis Among Infants --- Cleveland, Ohio, 1993-1996. 49(9):180-184. 11/17/03

Nelson, B. D. 2001. Stachybotrys chartarum: The Toxic Indoor Mold – APSnet. 11/23/03

What Types Of Mold Are Considered Toxic Mold

"Toxic mold" is a term that is used to describe types of mold that are considered deadly to humans. Most people believe that the name refers to one particular species of mold; however, it encompasses hundreds of species, a small fraction of which are not very harmful to the human body. Black mold is commonly used as a name for the most harmful mold species, which happen to be black in appearance. However, even molds of a different color can be toxic to the human body.

Any place that is dark and where there is an accumulation of moisture, is a potential breeding pool for mold. Mold can grown on almost any organic surface as long as moisture and oxygen are present. When large amounts of moisture build-up in buildings, or building materials mold growth will occur. It is virtually impossible to remove all indoor mold and mold spores, but it is possible to manage.

People are exposed to some amount of mold everyday. When mold is growing on a surface, spores can be released into the air where a person can then inhale them. A person who is subject to inhaling a large amount of these spores may be subject to some medical damage.

There are five categories of toxic mold. They are Cladosporium, Penicilium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys. Some of the species included in these categories may only cause hay fever-like allergic reactions, while others can cause potentially deadly illnesses. All five of these mold families can be found lurking indoors, in damp spaces. Each has its own particular characteristics that can greatly affect whatever organism or material it contacts. Indoor mold is not always obvious. Mold can manifest on hidden surfaces, such as wallpaper, paneling, the top of ceiling tiles, and underneath carpet.

Stachbotrys

The toxin produced by Stachybotrys chartarum is the most deadly. It has been tied to diseases as minor as hay fever, to those as serious as liver damage, pulmonary edema, and in the most severe cases, brain or nerve damage and even death. It has also been linked to severe illness in infants. Those with compromised immune systems, small children, and the elderly are highly susceptible to illness when they come in contact with this species of mold. Some symptoms associated with exposure to Stachbotrys include:
respiratory issues
nasal and sinus congestion
eye irritation
sore throat
hacking cough
chronic fatigue
central nervous system issues
aches and pains

Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Penicillium

These mold families have been connected to illnesses such as nail fungus, asthma, and also infections of the lungs, liver, and kidneys. Additionally, Fusarium may cause gastrointestinal illnesses, and even illness which affect the female reproductive system. Chronic cases of Cladosporium may produce pulmonary edema and emphysema.

Aspergillus

The least serious of the toxic mold groups, the Aspergillus mold family consists of over 160 species. Only 16 of those cause illness in humans, none of which are fatal if treated.

Toxic molds produce chemicals during their natural growth that are classified as toxins or poisons. The types that have been found to have profound effects on human health, are given the label of "toxic mold."

Toxic molds are all very dangerous if allowed to grow inside the home. Proper precautions should be taken to prevent and eliminate their growth. These measures should include eliminating every material that nourishes the molds, such as old remodeling materials left in a basement. Also, never try to determine the type of mold in your home. Contact a professional to test any mold colony you may find, and consult with your family physician.